I totally agree JB about not using herbicides on the veg plot...I don't think the method claimed to be organic, just a way of getting cheap nitrogen and organic matter (I think????)

Hi, I found these instructions several years ago and have been meaning to try the method (except for herbicide) but have never got around to it...has anybody else used a similar technic and would a green manure inside a greenhouse/polytunnel work and improve the soil? I think this was probably from ...

Hi Bren, I bought 3 different varieties of toms from the T&M Vita Sementi range and planted about 50 of each in 9cm square pots and put in a heated propagator on 6th March. I now have a very healthy pot of seedling from all three varieties, plus plenty more in the packets to start some more late...

Quite right Belinda, but my head was befuzzled last night and I could not remember their name...nor the fact that they eat Ragwort...so a very useful caterpillar.

Hi teashoot, As the nights are getting shorter the hens will start to pick up anyway and you have plenty of time to decide whether you want to make the investment before next autumn. As mentioned in the previous link I do have a lighting system, but currently only the one battery. This is inadequate...

Well Monica, You pays your money and makes your choice. I don't know what temp my green house was as my max/min thermometres are currently elsewhere, but the polytunnel got down to -5 degrees and has been for several nights over the last week or so. Good luck with everything, I'm sure they will be f...

My rule of thumb is that if it looks vaguely like a caterpillar, i.e. small head and long squiggy body then it probably eats LOTS of vegetative matter (leaves or roots) and will get thrown to the ducks or chickens. I may be wrong, but preditors tend to be more active and will have longer legs. I NEV...

I've just been given a well rotted horse manure heap, unfortunately it is FULL of convolvulus roots, so needs careful spreading out and pulling out the roots without snapping any. I put all the roots onto a bucket for disposal off later, but found that they had disappeared the next day when I went b...

Onions are VERY tough so should be happy in your unheated greenhouse overnight. I put 2 trays of onion module out last week and they survived the over night snow. Also they are only in a VERY holey plastic green house (cheap 4x6 foot 4 years old now lets in plenty of fresh air!) Although I have put ...

I am also surprised that Alan Refail cannot get the fruit to cropping size. My mother lives in Nottinghamshire and her parish has Sweetchestnut trees planted along the parish boundary...there are four or more within 500 yards of her house. These fruit wonderfully every year and they colder winter an...

Thanks folks, but I need about 50Kg not 20 to 60 tubes that T & M sell them for...just to give a price comparison, last year Edwin Tucker was doing 20 Kg for £28 (including delivery) T & M are charging £10.99 for 60 tubers (approx 4Kg)

I'll just have to keep looking!

I over wintered a Tomato plant Idli in my kitchen (I saved some seed until August so it wasn't too big by autumn), I did not pinch out the side shoots but left these to grow. Last week I took off the side shoots and potted these up into 8cm square pots and left these on the kitchen windowsill, I now...

I would like to praise Ferline Tomato (available from T & M catalogue) Its fruits are large salad size (or small beefsteak if you restrict the truss to four fruits) and taste delicious. My plants lasted until the heavy frost at the end of October and the remaining fruits were left on the plants ...

Has anyone got any ideas where I can get commerial size bags of seed potates of Sarpo Mira? I got 60 tubers from T & M last year, planted these late, but got a brilliant crop from them. I now want to buy approx 50 Kg of seed potatoes, but do not know where to get them from. Edwin Tucker had them...

Thanks Barry, I too, like many growers have found parsnip almost impossible to grow, but know that they selfseed easily. I have always wondered what would happen if you sowed the fresh seeds in the Autumn, and have always assumed that they would run to seed the next year. I will plant up some shop b...